Drug store building rehab put on hold

Owners of Houser Drug announced nearly a year ago that they were eyeing the three-story former bank building at the corner of Main and Mountain streets in Cherryville.

Diane Turbyfill

A plan to revive a Cherryville mainstay has been put on hold. Owners of Houser Drug announced nearly a year ago that they were eyeing the three-story former bank building at the corner of Main and Mountain streets in Cherryville. Owners of the successful drug store hoped to expand the business and bring new life to the brick building in downtown.

The drug store owners made an offer of $200,000 for the property though the tax value is set at $304,000, according to county records. The agreement looked like a viable plan until Tim Moss hired someone to inspect the property.

Expense of renovation: The building, which has been empty for about eight years, had some damage from age. But converting the structure from a bank to a pharmacy was more the issue, according to Moss, co-owner of Houser Drug. Moss said inspectors told him that he would need to make expensive changes.

The building needs a new sprinkler system, electrical work and a fire escape, according to Moss. The developing list of improvements could cost about $200,000, Moss said. And once renovations begin, there’s always a chance that more expenses could arise, Moss said. “It kind of just snowballed and snowballed into a deal that we couldn’t handle,” he said.

Moss said he could close off the top two floors and open for business on the first floor with a lot less expense. But that doesn’t seem like a smart business plan, he said. “Why would you want to buy a three-story building and not use the second and third floors?” he said.

Historic property: Built in 1916, the brick building has housed Cherryville National Bank, Southern National Bank and BB&T. When BB&T moved, the city saw an opportunity. The idea was to repurpose the building into a new city hall. The city purchased the building in 2006 for $325,000, according to tax records.

But a downturn in the economy stalled the project, Cherryville City Manager Ben Blackburn said in a previous interview with The Gazette. Blackburn didn’t work for the city when the building was purchased, but he’s aware of the changes. Because of tight budgets, city staff didn’t increase as expected, so the need for space didn’t meet projections, Blackburn said.

At the time of the purchase, city staff and the Cherryville Fire Department also shared the space. A new firehouse on N.C. 150 freed up more room in the current City Hall.

Dependable business Houser Drug has been a bustling business in Cherryville since 1935. New ownership came in 1992, and now the pharmacy is owned by Moss, Don Beam and recently elected Cherryville Mayor H.L. Beam III. The pharmacy provides prescriptions and medical supplies to individuals and long-term care homes. The business also serves up sodas and hosts small groups that gather around the coffee pot for a chat most mornings. The plan, if the company moved into the former bank building, was to operate the pharmacy on the first floor and use the other two for office and storage space.

Done deal? Moss worked with inspectors and architects when considering moving his business. Though he and his partners took the offer off the table last spring, the negotiating hasn’t ceased, he said. Moss and his partners aren’t willing to pay $200,000 for the property plus all of the necessary renovations. But if the city decides to negotiate, things could change, Moss said. “It may work out. It may not. If it’s not me, I hope they do find somebody to inhabit the building,” he said. “I still think it’s a beautiful building. I’d hate to see it bulldozed.”

You can reach reporter Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817 and twitter.com/ GazetteDiane.